Is Blowing On The Ball Legal?

Yes, I know it's a weird question and would be a pretty unlikely occurrence

The other day, I had a ball practically sit up on the net and eat lunch before deciding to fall on my opponent's side. Occasionally you get a ball that runs along the net for two feet or so before dropping on one side or the other. Theoretically, a doubles player right at the net would be able to huff and puff and blow the ball down... into the opponent's court.

In the unlikely event that you could react fast enough and actually affect the ball, is it legal to blow on the ball? You wouldn't be touching it

For you or your team to win the point, you have to hit it with one stroke from your racket.
For the opposition to lose the point, you don't have to hit the ball.
You will NEVER see an opportunity to blow the ball back to his court.

For you or your team to win the point, you have to hit it with one stroke from your racket.
For the opposition to lose the point, you don't have to hit the ball.
You will NEVER see an opportunity to blow the ball back to his court.

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I realize it's an extremely long shot, but I swear I could have gotten to that ball that was just "sitting" on top of the net the other day. Both my opponent and I were standing there just looking at it, waiting for it to fall. He had tried to hit a drop shot and it landed squarely on top of the tape.

It reminded me of the scene in Caddyshack where the ball is sitting on the lip of the cup, teetering on the precipice and falls in when Bill Murray's gopher explosives go off and the ball falls in from the earth shaking.

Maybe it's just the nets on the courts where we play most of the time. I've seen the ball hit the net and then just roll across the top of the net for a foot or two at least half a dozen times.

You would lose the point. Rule 21 specifies that after the ball has been hit by you or your partner, you may not do anything that might hinder your opponent from hitting the ball. Attempting to change its direction of travel by blowing on it after it had been hit would surely come under this hindrance rule. Also, deliberate noises or behavior that are distractions to your opponent come under this rule, and blowing on a ball that he still has an opportunity to hit would likely be a distraction hindrance. Merely your getting that close to the ball when he could still hit it would be perceived as distraction hindrance.

Put it this way- if someone did that to you the only way that you could claim the point would be is if you were right there to hit it yourself and your opponent's face was in a dangerous spot where you dind't think you could swing and therefore would be allowed to call hindrance. But otherwise its no different than waving your raquet near a ball to try and have the wind push it wide- there isn't anything illegal about it. All that said there just isn't time and it will never happen.

Waving your racquet at the ball after you've hit it is a distraction if your opponent hasn't hit it yet -- what other purpose could it serve? -- and you should lose the point. We know that throwing your racquet causes forteiture of the point for the same reason -- it is a deliberate distraction.

You would lose the point. Rule 21 specifies that after the ball has been hit by you or your partner, you may not do anything that might hinder your opponent from hitting the ball. Attempting to change its direction of travel by blowing on it after it had been hit would surely come under this hindrance rule. Also, deliberate noises or behavior that are distractions to your opponent come under this rule, and blowing on a ball that he still has an opportunity to hit would likely be a distraction hindrance. Merely your getting that close to the ball when he could still hit it would be perceived as distraction hindrance.

Yes, I know it's a weird question and would be a pretty unlikely occurrence

The other day, I had a ball practically sit up on the net and eat lunch before deciding to fall on my opponent's side. Occasionally you get a ball that runs along the net for two feet or so before dropping on one side or the other. Theoretically, a doubles player right at the net would be able to huff and puff and blow the ball down... into the opponent's court.

In the unlikely event that you could react fast enough and actually affect the ball, is it legal to blow on the ball? You wouldn't be touching it

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Would you REALLY be willing to go this far to win a single tennis point?

I think that you guys are confusing the hindrance issue with the legality of the move. So take that part out- what if your opponent hits a volley and it sits right on the netcord, would you be allowed to blow on the ball to prevent it from coming onto your side? Clearly its not hindrance for you to do so. I can't see anything in the rules that would prevent you from doing so anymore than the rules would prevent you from waving your racquet near the ball to get it to sail wide.

So unless you think that its legal for one side to do it but not for the other side to do it, I think the correct answer is that it would be legal unless the person on the other side is in position to hit the ball and doesn't do so because you are hindering their ability to swing through it.

I think you should practice this move, the approach the net whilst the ball is sitting on the tape and blow it over shot.

You should spend at least 5 minutes every week drilling this shot. With practice you should be able to control the ball placement post-blow - ie going directly behind the ball, but staying on your side of the net will blow the ball directly into the opponents court, but you could consider approaching the ball from one side and thus blowing it at an angle onto the other side, thus keeping it closer to the net and making the opponent move sideways to return the ball.

You might also consider increasing your lung capacity to ensure the blow is not weak and feeble.

Moving to the net to play this shot and then realising you havent got enough blow to get it over the net would be highly embarassing.

actually, I jokingly do this on down the line passes or lobs that I REALLY REALLY hope are wide....

Frankly, the odds of being able to actually do this and have any hope of influencing the ball are so miniscule as to be unworthy of a rule or interpretation, etc., but since I am here already, I would suggest that as long as it is not specifically illegal, it is legal. Especially if you are a libertarian.

I wasn't thinking of trying to direct it in the air, just knock it off the net and on to his side without touching it. The ball would have way too much going for it as far as momentum goes.

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I never made reference to whether the ball was in the air or on the net. But, especially if the ball is on the net, you've only got fractions of a second before it falls off or changes position along the net (before it finally falls off). No one is fast enough to track a ball and predict its movement in that situation to be able "blow" it off of the net.

Related topic, let's say my opponent hits a really high lob and while it is in the air, a lightning strikes it. But the ball lands in, but it does not bounce.

Who's point is it?

P.S. What if the lighting hits my partner while the ball is in the air, is it a let? Even better, my partner gets abducted by aliens using their tractor beam. but touches the ball while going up, is that legal?

Related topic, let's say my opponent hits a really high lob and while it is in the air, a lightning strikes it. But the ball lands in, but it does not bounce.

Who's point is it?

P.S. What if the lighting hits my partner while the ball is in the air, is it a let? Even better, my partner gets abducted by aliens using their tractor beam. but touches the ball while going up, is that legal?

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1. The ball is broken during the point, so you should replay the point (1st serve).

2. A situation outside your partner's control hindered him, so the point should be replayed. Unfortunately, your partner would probably be unable to continue playing so you would have to retire from the match.

3. I think this would depend on whether or not the tractor beam hindered your opponents from playing the shot.

I would like to believe that you cannot blow on the ball in an attempt to change the direction of the ball. As a broader ruling, I would like to interpret the rules as to say that you can't try to move the ball with anything other than your racket.

With these interpretations, maybe I would have a chance against Jedis.

I would like to believe that you cannot blow on the ball in an attempt to change the direction of the ball. As a broader ruling, I would like to interpret the rules as to say that you can't try to move the ball with anything other than your racket.

With these interpretations, maybe I would have a chance against Jedis.

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They read your mind and know exactly where you're going to hit , so you're still hosed.

Related topic,
P.S. What if the lighting hits my partner while the ball is in the air, is it a let? Even better, my partner gets abducted by aliens using their tractor beam. but touches the ball while going up, is that legal?

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are they legal or illegal aliens? also depends on if you are in arizona or not.

Let's turn that argument around. If I had hit the ball that was sitting on top of the net cord and followed the ball to net to begin to blow it to the opposite side, it would have to be a hindrance as, even if the opponent was not near the ball, my being inches from it is an obvious distraction and hindrance such that he could not approach the ball freely to strike it with my head next to it(which, even if he was still on the baseline, he could do, as the ball was not yet fallen). So clearly the person who hit the ball could not be allowed to blow on it. Would you then say that the receiver could do it but the hitter couldn't.

my being inches from it is an obvious distraction and hindrance such that he could not approach the ball freely to strike it with my head next to it

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If that's the case, if the receiver just dinks it with HIS racquet, his racquet would be on my side of the net, I wouldn't be able to hit the ball upwards to get it over the net and therefore it would be a hindrance to me returning the ball to him...

I think the correct answer is that it would be legal unless the person on the other side is in position to hit the ball and doesn't do so because you are hindering their ability to swing through it.

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I am not sure about that. If you are standing in a legitimate position on your side of the court, I don't see that the opponent can claim a hindrance just because s/he cannot do a follow through. What if, instead of blowing on the ball, you hit it with your racquet? You are still in a position right up against the net - are you saying that the opponent can claim a hindrance if unable to perform their follow through without hitting you? This specific situation is not addressed in the rules, but it doesn't sound like a valid hindrance to me.

I am not sure about that. If you are standing in a legitimate position on your side of the court, I don't see that the opponent can claim a hindrance just because s/he cannot do a follow through. What if, instead of blowing on the ball, you hit it with your racquet? You are still in a position right up against the net - are you saying that the opponent can claim a hindrance if unable to perform their follow through without hitting you? This specific situation is not addressed in the rules, but it doesn't sound like a valid hindrance to me.

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Can you tap the ball over if it is sitting on the tape after your opponent hit it?